Manufacture of artificial timber and the like



- Jan. Y, 1930.

A. E. MILMNG QFJ MANUFACTURE 0F ARTIFICIAL TIMBER AND THE nedua ,26. 19327 4 Sheets-Shet 1 4 l I 4 i 1, Z a, b (11?? Ev Z 4.

. awtoz Jan. 7, 1930.

i Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 26. 1927 Jan. 7, 1930. A. E. MILLINGTON 1,742,410

MANUFACTUIRE 0F ARTIFICIAL TIMBER AND THE LIKE Filed May 26, 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jam]; 1930 A, E. MILLINGTON mmw MANUFACTURE OF ARTIFICIAL TIMBER AND THE LIKE Filed May 26, 1927 Patented Jan. 7, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR E. MILLINGTON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 0F FIR-TEX INSULATING BOARD 00., A CORPORATION OF OREGON manuracruan or ARTIFICIAL TIMBER AND THE LIKE Application filed-May 26,

This invention relates to the manufacture of timber, lumber, railroad ties, and the like, from fibrous stock prepared in accordance with application Serial No. 194,288, filed by Arthur E. Millington on the 26th day of .May, 1927.

vide a new, long-lasting product which may be in various forms, such as lumber, timber, railroad ties, and cross arms used for supportin gfitelegraph and telephone wires.

With the foregoing and other objects in View the invention comprises the novel steps of the process, and a mechanism which may be used for carrying out the process to pro-- duce a new product. Apparatus suitable for carrying out the process is shown inthe accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4: are complemental views which collectively show'a preferred form of the complete apparatus employed, with some of the parts in section and others omitted for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 5 is a view of some of the mechanism shown in Fig. 4, but shows some of the parts in different positions.

In the drawings, the tank 10 may be and preferably is one of the stock tanks used in the installation shown and described inthe Millington application above mentioned, from which the fibrous stock is withdrawn for delivery to the board-forming machine referred to in said application and described in detail in an application Serial No. 194,289, filed by Arthur E. Millington on the 26th day of May, 1927.

As stated in the application first referred to, the fibrous material fdrms about a 2 per kpggjhe sprocket 23 so as to changle, t 1

cent suspension iii water. In the present embodiment, this water and material is with- 1927. Serial No. 194,290.

drawn from the tank by centrifugal pump 11, and delivered by one or more pipes 12 between the cooperating sections of a caterpillar press. A valve 13' in the pipe controls the delivery to the press. The caterpillar press comprises a frame 14, with uprights 15 and 16. The upright 15 is provided with a portion-17 used as a bearing for a sprocket wheel 18. The uprights 16 are threaded near their upper ends to support an adjustable apparatus 21 comprising a bearing 22 for the trunnion of a sprocket wheel 23.

Supported between or by the portions 15 and 16 of'theframework are tracks 24., serving to back up and guide rollers 25 on the ends of rods 26, which rods serve as the pivotal connection between sections 27 of the caterpillar tread. Each section 27 of the'tread comprises a strong perforated plate 28.

Attached to the lower part of the framework 141 are-extensions 31 and 32, which support the trunnions 33 and 3st of sprocket wheels 35 and 36, like the wheels 18 and 23 previously mentioned. The sprocket wheels 35 nd 36 support a caterpillar chain, which is e same in all essential particulars as the upper chain or tread. The top run of the lower tread or chain is backed up and supported by rails 37 The sprocket wheels 18 and 36 are driven in any suitable way at a sufiicient speed to effect a travel of about ten linear feet per minute of the upper and lower caterpillar treads. treads of the caterpillar members with substantially no pressure, and the water carrying the fibrous material will rapidly filter through the treads. The speed of the treads, and the rate of flow, are in such a relation that before the material has been carried very far from its enteringpoint, enough of the free flow water will have left through the caterpillar for the cooperating treads to begin a compressing or compacting action without forcing the stock back toward the point of delivery.

The adjustment 21 is designed to raise and to any e desired, the angular relatio of the lower run of the upper caterpillar tread with The stock is delivered between the respect to the corresponding portion of the lower tread. As illustrated, the treads converge from the'point where the stock enters, and by the time the stock passes a position opposite the sprockets 23 and 35, the material will have been compacted sulliciently for it to be very dense andwith all of the free flow water pressed out.

After the material leaves the caterpillar members it is directed into the throat of a hammer shredder or refiner 41, so adjusted as to have a minimum refining action. The only purpose of the refiner is to loosen or fluff the fibers. As the flufl'ed material leaves the shredder 41 it drops into a storage bin 42, having its sides converging toward a central point at the bottom of the bin. Working in the bin is a chain conveyor 43 carrying suitable buckets 44 for raising the material from the bin 42 and delivering it to a chute 45 leading into a rotary drier 46-. This drier comprises the usual steam-heated jacket,

- with an internal rotating shell, and the drier is so positioned with reference to a horizontal line as to effect delivery of the dried material to a hopper and chute 47, guiding the material into a tank 48. \Vhen the apparatus is being used to manufacture railroad ties, cross arms, or other material where such a protection is necessary, the tank 48 contains a mixture of coal tar creosote and sufficient oil to cause a thorough saturation of the fibers with the coal tar creosote. Running from the bottom of the tank 48 is a bucket con veyor 51. which at its upper end delivers the ereosoted material to a chute 52 terminating atits lower end in a semi-cylindrical shell or trough 53. Rotating in this shell or trough is a screw conveyor 54, turning in the proper direction to advance the material to a hopper and chute 55.

Positioned above and" extending substan- 54 is a system of showers 56, supplied through one or more pipes 57 with coal tar creosote with its oil content. This creosote and oil substance is about the same as that previously mentioned, and is carried in a tank 58. The creosote oil is forced from the tank 58 to the showers 56, by a high-pressure centrifugal pump 59.

It should be stated at this point that the creosote oil in the tanks 48 and 58 are kept at a high temperature by means of steam ackets 0r pipes in or around the walls of the tanks. The exact temperature is not important, except that it should be high enough to keep the creosote oil liquid and in conditions readilyto saturate the fibrous material. &

The semi-cylin rical shell or trough 53 under the screw conveyor 54 is perforated for the greater part of itslength. 1 The liquid creosote oil is showered upon the'fiber while it is being agitated as well as advanced by the screw conveyor, the sprays delivering a sufficient volume of the oil to effect a .very

' a storage tank 61 from which it is withdrawn through a pipe 62 connected to an exhaust fan or pump 63 and delivered to a pipe header 64.

The pipe header carries two valves 65 and 66,

the construction and purpose of which will be set forth in detail later on. It is sufficient atthis time to say that the .valve 65 controls the delivery of the stock to the next working point in the apparatus, while the valve-66 controls the return of unused or unwanted stock to the tank or bin 61. The pipe 67, controlled by the valve 65, leads to one end of a forming mold or box 68. ing box may be of anyconfiguration suitable for the product which it is desired to make,

but will generally be of rectangular form. The sides and bottom of the forming box 68 are composed of steel plates containing numerous perforations. A catch-basin 69 under the forming box is connected, by means of a pipe 70, with one or the other of the creosote tanks.

\Vorking in the interior of the forming box The interior of this form- 68 is the head 7 3 of a hydraulic ram, the head being connected by a; shaft 74 to the piston 75. When enough material has been delivered by the pipe 67 to the forming box 68 to fill the latter, the ram is driven forward, thereby compacting the material within the box and incidentally squeezing out any free liquid. At this stage of the operation the material and the creosote oil will have cooled so that the creosote will tend to harden and free the oil. The pressure exerted by the ram will force out the oil content and leave the creosote behind in the compacted mass.

A head block 81 forms one end of the forming box 68, the block being rigid with the platen 82 of a hydraulic press. After the compacting operation in the forming box has been completed, the platen 82 is raised in the manner hereinafter explained, carrying with it the block 81 and opening the end of the I forming box 68. The piston 75, operating the ram in the forming box 68, then completes a full forward stroke, thereby pushing the end of the box, even though the platen has not been given its entire downward stroke. ilhis is necessary because the travel of the platen 1s necessarily slow, and it IS desirable to close the forming box as soon as the material begins to enter the box.

The platen 82 is raised and lowered by any suitable hydraulic mechanism, but, regardless of the type, should be capable of exerting a great total pressure, approximately 400 tons being satisfactory, upon the material under the platen.

The piston 75, operating the ram 73, and

the platen 82 should operate in a timed relation to get the best results, and in the present embodiment this timed relation is efi'ected automatically by devices intermediate the piston 85 supporting the platen 82 and the piston chamber 86 containing the devices for operating the ram 73. These intermediate devices will next be described.

Pivoted at 01 to the piston 85 is one end of a lever 92 connected to operate a four-way control valve 93, which in turn controls the operation of the ram 75. Entering the valve is a supply pipe 94, and pipes 95 and 96 lead from the valve to opposite sides of the piston in the ram cylinder 86. lVhen the piston 85 and lever 92 are in the positions shown in F ig. 5, the pipe 96 will be open to the exhaust 97 and the supply pipe 9i and pipe 93 will be in communication, so the the pressure exerted will drive the ram the rest of its distance to the right (Fig. 3) and push the i'ormed. mass: of material from the forming box and deposit it on the bed or table 8- of the hydraulic press. \Yhcn the piston and platen 82 start their descent, the lever 02 will be turned to the position shown in Fig. 4 and set the valve so that the pipe will be in communication with the exhaust and a connection will be established between the supply pipe 94 and pipe 96. The pressure fluid flowing through the pipe 96 will thereupon drive the piston back to its starting point, or to the left (Fig. thereby clearing the forming box ready for a refilling of the box. The downward. movement of the platen 82 will also, as before stated, close the end of the box, and this is done before any of the material flowing into the box can PSCQ-DCTI'OU'! the open end of the box.

- After the platen 82 has performed i ts work, the slab of pressed material is removed "from the bed 84 ot' the hydraulic press by driven rolls 101, and carried by said rolls to the suc cessivelv operating prcss rolls 102 cooperating with rolls 103. The slab is pushed from the bed 84 by the oncoming material from the forming box 68, butas soon as the rolls 101 become effective, further travel of the material is accomplished by the rolls 101 as described. After leaving the final press rolls 102-102 the material is carried by rolls 104 to drying and finishing operations.

' In order to control the flow of material to the forming box in proper sequence with the flat bed hydraulic press. The work of operating the valves is performed by motors 106, 1

107, connected by suitable gearing 108 with the valve stems. The motors are of the reversible type and operate either to open or close the valves.

The operations of the valves, and the reversal of'the current to each, is controlled by two pairs of contact bosses or blocks carried by the piston 85, the blocks in each pair being preferably so spaced apart and so positioned with respect to the.contacts controlled by the other pair, that when either the valve 65 or 66 is closed, the other will at the same time be open. Electrical-1y operated gate valves and controls therefor resembling generally the ones usedin this construction, are well known and need not be described in great detail. It is sufiicicnt for present purposes to say that the block 110 cooperates with a contact 1.11 to establish a ci cuit resulting in opening the .valve 65, while the downward travel of the piston 85 will cause the block 110 to establish connection in a circuit whioh'will drive the motor in the opposite direction and close the valve. The block 113 establishes 'cont-acts or closes circuits at 114 and 115 for the valve 66, in the same way as described in connection with the operation of the valve 65. It is a pparent that this valve construction and method of operating it will cause delivery of stock to the forming box 68 when the pla en 82 has descended far enough to close the open end of the box, while the valve 66 will be operated to open the overflow when the platen has been.

the operation of the valves 65 and 66 provides either a feed or an overflow at all times for the material coming through the pipe 64, thereby preventing a ny likelihood of the-pipe clogging- In the manufacture of some forms of the material it is desirable that the material be compacted or compressed to a greater degree than is possible in pressing operations where the creosoted material is cold. To providea way of doing this additional compacting, the platen 82 is connected, by a. hose or other flexible connection, to a steam supply, and the platen is constructed as a hot box. The bed l dense and strong, but will of coursenot have also of the hot-box type. In'the operation of the hydraulic press the material is compacted while cold, until the free oil is forced out, after which the steam is turned on to heat the platen and bed, and further compacting pressure thenapplied by the platen.

Forcertain purposes, particularly where the material is to be givena superficial coating of some kind, it may be unnecessary to use the creosoting apparatus in treating the fibers. For preparing such material the creosoting operations are omitted,but the rest of the mechanism and process is employed. The product resulting will be extremely the preservative qualities of the creosoted product. w r

The product has been described in rather general terms as timber, lumber, and the like, but it is to be understood that these terms are not intended as limitations. As a matter of fact the material, in the form of sheets or timbers, can be cut up to provide pieces of any suitable shape and for any desired purpose; As an example, the material may be cut up into wedges which may be used in place of the wooden Wedges now used to partially fill up worn holes in ties before driving in the spikes. The new creosoted material is highly effective for such use, not only serving to give a good bond between the tie and the spike,

' but also serving to plug'up the hole around the spike so as to prevent water from seeping in and causing further damage to the tie.

One highly desirable characteristic of the new product is that it is without grain and also has no crevices or openings permitting water to enter. In other words, it is a very dense, uniform structure, in which each fiber is individually protected, and the protected fibres compacted to make up a uniform body having no tendency to split or check. The material will nevertheless lend itself to building operations and the like, as it may readily be sawed and trimmed according tothe use to which it is to be put.

In describing the invention it has been necessary incidentally to explain in considerable detail the construction and operation of the mechanism, the steps of the process, and the resulting product. It is thought, therefore, that a summary of these various features may be omitted.

While. the various features involved have been discussed in considerable detail, it is not the desire to be limited to such details except as they may be included in the claims which follow.

What'is claimed is:

1. A process of the character described,

comprising the saturation of loose wood fibers H with hot coal tar creosote oil, and compressi I to compact the fibers and extract the oil from the fibrous mass and creosote.

2. A process of the character described comprising the heating of a volume of coal material while maintaining the mixture of fibrous material and creosote oil in heated condition. to effect saturation of the material, allowing the saturated material to cool sulficicntlv to free the oil content of the creosote, and forming the material in a press constructed to permit the freed oil 1 to escape from the press,

4. A process of the character described comprising the heating of a volume of coal tar creosote oil, saturating fibrous material with the heated oil, allowing the saturated material to cool sufficiently to free the oil content of the creosote, and pressing out the oil as an incident to compacting the fibrous material into the desired form.

5. A process of the character described, con'lprising the heating and stirring together a highly fluid niixture, agitating the mixture to effect a thorough saturation of the fibers by said oil, pressing the saturated fibers in unheated presses constructed to compact the fibers and squeeze out the oil, and subjecting the mass to further pressure in the presence of heat.

6. A process of the character described comprising pressing water-saturated wood fibers to extract the water, loosening the pressed fibers to a flufi'y condition, subjecting the loosened fibers to hot coal tar creosote oil, and compressing the saturated fibers in an unheated press to compact the fibers and extract the oil from the compressed material.

7. A process of the character described comprising pressing water-saturated wood fibers to extract the water, loosening the fibers to a fiuffy condition, subjecting the loosened fibers to hot coal tar creosote oil to saturate the fibers, compressing the saturated fibers fibers which have been first treated with coal tar creosote and afterwards compressed to give the desired density.

9. As an article of manufacture, a substitute r timber and the like composed of c 'ressed wood fibers and containing a dis- 65 ing the saturated fibres i an unheated press tributed amount of coal tar creosote. in excess of fifty pounds of creosote for each cubic foot in the article.

10. As an articleof manufacture, a substitute for timber and the like composed of highly compressed Wood fibers and having all of the fibres therein individually protected by a weatherproof and insect-proof material."

11. A process ,of the characterdescribed comprising pressing water-saturated wood fibers to extract the water, loosening the fibers to a fiufly condition, subjecting the loosened fibers in that condition to the effective action of a preservative substance, and forming the'fibers into a compacted mass by Pressure. I

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature. 1

ARTHUR E. MILLINGTON. 

